Victorian Ball Highlights Smithfield Festival

June 14, 1991|By LESLIE POSTAL Staff Writer

SMITHFIELD — Many organizers of Smithfield's first weekend-long festival were out in the fields Thursday afternoon.

``We've been out picking dozens and dozens and dozens of flowers,'' said Jane B. McLaughlin, president of the Spirit of Smithfield, the group which organized the Olden Days celebration that begins this evening.

The flowers are for the Victorian Ball Saturday night, one of the highlights of the two-day festival. Flowers, arbors, cherubs and fountains will help turn a historic house into a Victorian-era ballroom where men and women, some in costume, will dance to a 10-piece orchestra.

Olden Days is a benefit for the planned downtown improvement project, which should begin next month. The festival aims to highlight the historic nature of Smithfield, which was founded in 1750.

The Spirit of Smithfield, which held an antique show every summer, decided to host the event to bring more people into town. McLaughlin got the idea last August during a visit to a Michigan town that held a similar celebration to highlight its past, she said.

The celebration begins this evening with a concert on the lawn of The Times, 228 Main St.

Olden Days includes an art show, a crafts show and an antique show on Main Street both days, as well as a children's parade on Sunday and a raft race on Saturday. Most of the events start at 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday and will be on Main Street on the grounds of the Main Street Courthouse or The Times.

Visitors also can wander down to the wharf on Commerce Street on Saturday afternoon to watch a raft race on the Pagan River or to attend a picnic lunch.

Those interested in the town's history can browse through the Isle of Wight Museum, take a guided walking tour of Smithfield's historic district or a trolley tour of the town and county.

Youngsters can attend an ice cream social and a tea party on Sunday as well as march in the parade.